A pension reality very different from their judicial situation is being experienced by several former agents of the dissolved Central Nacional de Informaciones (CNI) prosecuted as perpetrators of the qualified homicides of 12 members of the Frente Patriótico Manuel Rodríguez in the so-called Operation Albania, which took place on June 15 and 16, 1987.

Today, they are awaiting the ruling of the visiting judge Hugo Dolmestch, who has the investigation of the crimes "ready for judgment." However, their pension situation is different because, under a generic designation of "post-war stress," the former agents have obtained second-category disability pensions, as certified by the Honorable Health Commission of the Army.

In practice, this means obtaining almost double their monthly retirement for being victims of ailments suffered in "acts of service" that incapacitate them from performing normal work. The group is headed by the chief of the so-called "anti-subversive procedure," Lieutenant Colonel (R) Krantz Bauer Donoso, former chief of the CNI's Green Brigade, whose cause for retirement is listed as a diagnosis of "open TBI (traumatic brain injury), post-TBI syndrome, otorrhagia of the left ear, fracture of the left temporal bone, and subarachnoid hemorrhage." He is followed by Lieutenant and Army civilian employee (R), agent Jorge Vargas Bories, co-perpetrator of unlawful deprivation of liberty and the homicides that occurred on Calle Pedro Donoso, who obtained his disability pension for acts of service by certifying "manic-depressive psychosis." Also enjoying this benefit, which extends to their family group and keeps their salary at an "active" level—meaning their pensions are readjusted in line with the salaries of officers currently in service—is the late Lieutenant Colonel Iván Cifuentes Martínez, former chief of the Cobra Command of the former CNI, who justified a "manic-depressive psychosis." It should be remembered that it was this officer who, knowing of a possible life sentence against him, requested a "political exit" for his cases, after stating that "basically, the CNI did the 'job' that the State entrusted to it (...) from a judicial point of view, the superiors of the CNI remained as cover-ups or accomplices, but only those of us who were captains are assuming the status of direct and material perpetrators." Likewise, former CNI agent and Army Major (R) Emilio Enrique Neira Donoso, prosecuted as an accomplice to the homicide of Recaredo Valenzuela and the kidnappings followed by homicide on Calle Pedro Donoso, receives a pension resulting from an "affective psychosis." For his part, César Luis Acuña Luengo, an Army civilian employee (R), prosecuted as the perpetrator of the homicide of Recaredo Valenzuela and an accomplice to the unlawful deprivation of liberty on Calle Pedro Donoso, also certified that he suffers from an "affective psychosis." Álvaro Corbalán Although lawyer Hugo Gutiérrez (a situation later endorsed by his colleague Héctor Salazar) pointed out to La Nación that the former operational chief of the CNI, Lieutenant Colonel (R) Álvaro Corbalán Castilla, enjoys a pension for "post-war stress," specifying that "I am one hundred percent sure, because I saw it published in the Army Bulletin," the Army's Directorate of Communications denied such a version. However, they indicated that the former officer, currently serving a simple life sentence at the Punta Peuco prison for his responsibility in the crime against the carpenter Juan Alegría Mundaca, did indeed request his second-category disability. "But it was denied because it was submitted after the deadline," the institution stated. Regarding the aforementioned awarding of pensions to these former agents, the same spokesperson maintained that they adhere to current legality, as the ailments were medically certified, emphasizing that they are "irrevocable" in nature. To these names, others from this institution, the Air Force, Carabineros, and Investigations can be added, who also maintain former officials prosecuted for their responsibility in Operation Albania. Caucoto When consulted, the plaintiff lawyer for the Albania case, Nelson Caucoto, pointed out that "this benefit seems strange to me for people who do not suffer from any disability or incapacity generated by acts of service that would leave them unable to work, a situation that only serves to allow them to have double their pensions." He added that "without a doubt, we are facing a situation that must be investigated, as the crime of fraud against the Treasury could perfectly well be configured." Quemados Case Preliminarily sentenced to 600 days in prison without remission for his participation in the so-called Caso Quemados (Burned Case), a situation later changed by the Court Martial upon certifying that his actions were only negligent, Army Captain (R) Pedro Fernández Dittus also joins the group of "post-war" disability pensions. Indeed, the chief of the military patrol that beat and doused Rodrigo Rojas Denegri and Carmen Gloria Quintana with fuel managed to certify an "organic psychopathy" before the Army Medical Commission. It should be remembered that due to the burns from the event that occurred on July 2, 1986, Rodrigo Rojas died and Carmen Gloria Quintana was left with injuries to 60 percent of her body.

Source: La Nación, August 9, 2004